This invention relates to an improved hydrophobic, non-absorbent, substantially non-water wettable granular material suitable for use as a bedding material for animals, such as large animals, e.g. horses, and to receive or for use to receive waste of small animals such as cats, rabbits and mice.
Cages on waste receptacles for small animals, such as cats or laboratory animals usually employ absorbent materials, such as shredded paper or other absorbent granular litter or litter type materials, for receiving, and in particular, for absorbing liquid animal excrement. This litter material, however, becomes wetted or saturated with liquid waste and is a source of offensive odor, as well as a potential source of infection or sickness to the animals in contact therewith. Also, litter material must be changed fairly often when wetted or saturated with liquid animal waste.
Attempts have been made to replace, absorbent litter materials with non-absorbent litter materials. These materials have generally proven to be unsatisfactory. Although non-absorbent, and not necessarily offensive to humans, it has been found that these non-absorbent litter materials are obnoxious or repulsive to small animals. There are various reasons why small animals kept in cages find the non-absorbent litter material offensive, such as the odor, or residues of odor of these non-absorbent materials.
Hence, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved, granular material for use to receive small animal waste.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of producing improved granular materials useful to receive small animal waste or as a bedding material and the like for large animals.
How these and other objects of this invention are achieved will become apparent in light of the accompanying disclosure.